‘Got to Build’—Michael Carrick Insists Man Utd Can Return to Alex Ferguson Glory Days

On the 40th anniversary of Sir Alex Ferguson’s appointment as Manchester United manager, Michael Carrick emphatically stated that “it’s not impossible” for the Red Devils to return to the standards of success set during Ferguson’s tenure.

As a player, Carrick played a significant role in United’s success under Sir Alex, joining the club in 2006 until the legendary manager departed in 2013—the last time United lifted the Premier League title.

The glory days United enjoyed under Ferguson seem like nothing but a distant memory, but Carrick is confident that the Red Devils can one day replicate that level of success.

“It’s not impossible, anything is possible,” Carrick said on Friday. “You’ve got to build, you got to be realistic, you got to put things in perspective as well. The recent history that we have and where we want to get to, it’s not going to happen in a blink of an eye, it’s not going to happen overnight.

“Success does take time and we don’t like having to spend time, but it does take a period of time to build. We showed a really quick response and improved a lot last season. It shows what is possible, but again, sustaining it is the key, consistency is the key. There’s no other way of doing it, there’s no shortcuts to it, and in the end, thats where you get to. But it’s definitely possible.”

Carrick added: “It’s difficult to bring success. It was difficult then, and it’s difficult now. It just shows you how tough it is to have sustained success, never mind moments of success. We’ve got to live in the moment. We know what we’ve got to do, and we’ve got to be focused on bringing success week to week in games.

“Then things fall into place. If you do that enough, and do it often enough, you’ll bring a bigger version of it [success].”

Remembering Sir Alex Ferguson’s Glory Days at Man Utd

A legend among legends.

Today marks the 40 years since Sir Alex Ferguson began his glorious association with Manchester United ❤️ pic.twitter.com/E6anjZtHQu
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 6, 2026

“It’s something definitely worth celebrating as a football club,” Carrick said remembering the Ferguson era on Friday—and he’s not wrong.

Sir Alex Ferguson touched down in the red side of Manchester on Nov. 6, 1986, and during his 27-year tenure at the club, he led the team to unprecedented success, becoming far and away the most successful manager in English soccer history.

Ever since he helped United end a 26-year league title drought during the inaugural Premier League season in 1992–93, the Red Devils went on to win a staggering 13 Premier League titles until his retirement after the 2012–13 season. His 528 Premier League wins as manager remains a record unlikely to ever be broken.

In the 1998–99 season, Ferguson’s United became the first English team to win a treble, conquering the Premier League, FA Cup and the Champions League in a memorable final against Bayern Munich.

In total, United added 38 trophies to their cabinet under Sir Alex, including the aforementioned 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups and two Champions League titles.

Carrick Knows Man United Won’t Be As Patient With Him

Sir Alex Ferguson and Michael Carrick with the Premier League trophy. — Michael Carrick (right) won five Premier League titles as a player under Sir Alex Ferguson. | Matthew Peters/Manchester United/Getty Images

Michael Carrick revealed he’s closer to Ferguson now than he was during his time as a player and described the impact his former boss has had on him as “immense.” Still, it’s hard to envision United being as patient with Carrick as they were with the most successful manager in club history.

From the moment he was appointed, it took Sir Alex seven years to lead Man Utd to the first league title of his tenure. Nowadays, even the most successful managerial tenures often don’t last that long. The game has evolved, and Carrick is aware of that.

“The game has certainly changed, no doubt,” Carrick said. “It always does. It evolves, and it had evolved by the stage probably after Sir Martin and in the years after that to then Sir Alex. It evolves all the time, that’s how it is.

“It changes, and we’ve got to deal with what's in front of us. There’s always different things to compare, but we have to live in the present as well and definitely use past experiences to help us. Time and patience, but we’re all desperate to win football matches and win them as quickly as we possibly can.”

Winning and winning fast is essential for Carrick to keep his job in Old Trafford’s dugout, let alone start emulating Sir Alex’s success. A run of nine winless games had Carrick’s job security on life support until the spectacular 3–2 comeback win against Roma last time out bought him some time.

Up next is a must-win Premier League clash at home against Aston Villa on Sunday. Anything but a victory could result in the Red Devils dropping into the relegation places and Carrick being out of a job by the time the November international break concludes.

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